—You are not like the others.
« No, » she said softly. « And I don’t want to be. »
THE INVITATION THAT NO ONE EXPECTED
Suddenly, Sofia turned to him with a mischievous smile.
—Do you want to dance with me?
Adrian froze.
She looked at her wheelchair: the silent barrier that had kept people away for months.
« You know I can’t, » he said softly.
She shook her head.
—No. You can’t dance like them. But you can still dance.
—Sofia… —her voice trembled—. People are going to stare at us.
« Let them watch, » she said softly. « They’re watching anyway. »
His words deeply affected him: simple yet profound, they pierced the wall he had erected around himself.
She took a small step forward.
—I’m talking to the person, not the chair.
Adrian swallowed.
No one had spoken to him like that since before the accident. No one had treated him as if he were whole.
Finally, holding back a breath he didn’t even know he had held, Adrian nodded.
« I’d like that, » she murmured.
THE DANCE THAT CHANGED EVERYTHING
Sofia stood beside him. One hand rested delicately on his shoulder, the other in hers. She didn’t force anything. She followed his movements: small gestures, slight movements of the chair, subtle swaying.
They didn’t dance like everyone else.
They danced to their own rhythm.
A calm and intimate world in the middle of a crowded room.
And yes, people were watching.
But, for the first time, Adrian didn’t care.
Sofia’s reassurance comforted him. Her calmness offered him respite. Her presence soothed a sorrow he had buried for months.
When the music stopped, she barely moved away and smiled.
—You are better than you think.
He laughed… really laughed, with a laugh he hadn’t felt for a very long time.
—It’s been a long time since I felt… human.
« You are human, » she said tenderly. « More so than those who pretend not to be. »
His words deeply affected him.
Because they were true.
THE NIGHT THAT FOLLOWED
Sofia stayed with him for the rest of the night. They talked about everything: life, dreams, fear, loneliness, resilience. No subject was taboo. No question was forbidden.
« Almost no one talks to me like that, » Adrian admitted in a low voice.
« It’s their downfall, » she said. « Not yours. »
He studied her face, illuminated by the soft glow of the candles. There was something extraordinary about her: a strength enveloped in gentleness, an untouched goodness, preserved from the pretensions of the world.
« Why did you really ask me to dance? » she finally asked.
Sofia lowered her eyes, then raised them to him with disarming honesty.
—Because you looked like a man drowning in a room full of lifeguards who refuse to go swimming.
This sentence struck him so deeply that, for a moment, he forgot to breathe.
She continued, softly:
—And because loneliness manifests itself in the same way, regardless of a person’s level of wealth.
A CONNECTION SHE DIDN’T SEE COMING
By the end of the night, something had changed between them: something warm, delicate, impossible to ignore.
« I’m leaving now, » Sofia said, carefully getting up. « But… I really enjoyed this evening. »
« Me too, » replied Adrian. « More than I would have thought. »
She hesitated, then rummaged in her bag and handed him a folded piece of paper.
« My number, » she said shyly. « In case you’d like to talk again. Or dance again. »
A long silence settled between them.
Finally, Adrian murmured:
—I would love that.
She smiled: a sweet, sincere, unforgettable smile.
—Good evening, Adrian.
THE DAYS THAT FOLLOWED
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